This Climate Business podcast: Nature, commerce and COP 16 – Manu Caddie (edited excerpts)
Listen to the full episode here.
Vincent
"What were you working on at COP 16? What did you have to negotiate?"
Manu
“They've got a body called the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. That's sort of a standing NGO that any indigenous peoples can join. They maintain a watching brief on what happens in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is what this COP is part of. They participate in working groups between COPs to progress deliberations and negotiations.
"We haven't got quite an equal voice, but we certainly have an elevated and enhanced participation compared to business and environmental NGOs. There's a special recognition that in the CBD agreements that indigenous peoples and local communities have certain rights and responsibilities to do with biodiversity protection."
Vincent
“The rationale being that indigenous people are disproportionately affected by biodiversity loss, but also disproportionately steward over areas of biodiversity sensitivity, right?”
Manu
“Yeah. Some figures suggest that up to 80% of what remains of the world's biodiversity is located in the lands of indigenous peoples and the oceans that we're responsible for.”
Vincent
“There were a few disappointments. One of them was just the level of funding and commitment to recompensing or funding biodiversity protection for indigenous people. Part of your agenda was to lift that game?
Manu
“That was a goal, but I think we were all a bit realistic of not getting our hopes up. But yes, certainly a lot of frustration and anger that particularly developed countries that have contributed more than our fair share to the loss of biodiversity, not stumping up the kind of level we need to halt and reverse the loss that's still going on at a pace.”
Vincent
“Even a week up prior to the event, less than 20% of companies had made their commitments. Has that figure changed and where is New Zealand at?”
Manu
“Yeah, I think it's at 44 countries now. New Zealand's overdue to submit what's called the implementation plan. We have our Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy that was finalised around 2020. And then we need an implementation plan to show how we were going to actually achieve the aspirations in there, which many of us don't think are particularly aspirational or don't go far enough.
"We like to think we're well advanced on indigenous rights and things, but we're starting to be overtaken by other countries. From a biodiversity perspective, we've definitely got a lot to lose still, and it's not looking good, but I'm an optimistic kind of person. So, always hoping for the best and keen to help progress some of that.”
Vincent
I am curious about your interest in IP development, particularly around biomarkers and bioactives."
Manu
“It's my cunning plan, I guess, to help with the reforestation of the country and protection of those taonga if we can find ways to value them commercially. We started with kānuka because that is the most plentiful plant in our part of the country on the East Coast and looked at the oil from that. We developed an eczema cream that we put through a couple of clinical trials. One of the trials was more effective than the steroid-based cream. So, that's IP that we've got. We're in the final stages of negotiation with a US company for the global licensing."
SBN is partnering with This Climate Business to connect with our network and broaden its reach.